First Purpose-built Traveller's Site in Britain

From the collection of

East Anglian Film Archive at the University of East Anglia
The East Anglian Film Archive, the UK's first regional film archive, offers a unique record of the East of England's social and cultural history. As part of the University of East Anglia, we continue to lead moving image heritage research and inspire audience participation through community projects and events. Our collections represent a broad range of amateur and professional creativity, from 1896 to the present day.

First Purpose-built Traveller's Site in Britain


Does staying on a permanent site interfere with travellers' traditions? Travellers who live in caravans on a site in Wisbech speak to Anglia TV

Taking a look at a Council-run travellers' site in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in 1975, which is, in fact, the first purpose-built caravan site that accommodates travellers in the UK. Greg Barnes, reporting for Anglia Television, meets the tenants asking why they choose to live in permanently located mobile homes. Is the site the antithesis to the old gypsy way-of-life? The Gypsy Liaison Officer and Site Warden, John Prior, is also interviewed.

Taking a look at a Council-run travellers’ site in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in 1975, which is, in fact, the first purpose-built caravan site that accommodates travellers in the UK. Greg Barnes, reporting for Anglia Television, meets the tenants asking why they choose to live in permanently located mobile homes. Is the site the antithesis to the old gypsy way-of-life? The Gypsy Liaison Officer and Site Warden, John Prior, is also interviewed.


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